Windows & Endpoint Management Architect

Southern Company; Birmingham (AL); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Company seeks a senior architect to define future-state architecture and governance for Digital Workplace Technologies. You will lead Windows endpoint management (MECM and Intune), patching, and security, while driving modernization and enterprise-wide roadmaps.

This role requires onsite work three days per week at Atlanta, GA or Birmingham, AL. The candidate will shape standards, drive risk-based decisions, and mentor engineers across IT groups, ensuring scalable, secure, and resilient

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years IT experience with 5+ years in technical leadership, architecture planning, or strategic technology planning.
• Travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Develops, governs, and maintains strategic architecture roadmaps for Windows endpoint management (MECM and Intune).
• Creates and governs reference architectures, design standards, and reusable solution frameworks.
• Leads architecture reviews and approvals for major Digital Workplace Technologies projects.
• Ensures compliance with enterprise architecture standards, cybersecurity requirements, and lifecycle governance.
• Identifies technical debt, modernization opportunities, and strategic investment needs.
• Leads modernization involving cloud-first endpoint management and AI-enabled operations.
• Evaluates emerging technologies and develops strategic recommendations for business objectives and security.
• Leads PoC activities, technology assessments, vendor evaluations, and adoption strategies.
• Provides technical leadership and mentorship to engineers and project teams across departments.

Skills

MECM & Intune management

Windows servicing & patching

Active Directory & Group Policy

Microsoft Entra ID

Windows Server infrastructure

Endpoint security & vulnerability

PowerShell scripting & automation

Architecture roadmaps & governance

Design reviews & risk-based decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

MECM

Intune

Windows Autopilot

Microsoft Connected Cache

Delivery Optimization

Nexthink

SQL Server

Power BI

Job description

Job Summary

This position is responsible for defining future-state architecture, technology standards, governance practices, and strategic roadmaps for Digital Workplace Technologies team. This role provides technical leadership for the Windows endpoint environment, including Microsoft Configuration Manager (MECM), Microsoft Intune, and Windows servicing and patching, as well as digital employee experience, device lifecycle management, software delivery, automation, vulnerability management, workplace security technologies, and enterprise workplace modernization.

Job Summary

This position is responsible for defining future-state architecture, technology standards, governance practices, and strategic roadmaps for Digital Workplace Technologies team. This role provides technical leadership for the Windows endpoint environment, including Microsoft Configuration Manager (MECM), Microsoft Intune, and Windows servicing and patching, as well as digital employee experience, device lifecycle management, software delivery, automation, vulnerability management, workplace security technologies, and enterprise workplace modernization.

The role serves as a strategic technical leader, driving modernization efforts, architecture governance, technology innovation, and alignment while ensuring solutions remain secure, scalable, resilient, supportable, and aligned with Southern Company business objectives.

The architect level will depend on the candidate’s skills, experience, and demonstrated ability to perform the responsibilities of the role.

This position requires onsite work three (3) days per week at either our Atlanta, GA, or Birmingham, AL location.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Technical Skills Required

• Expert-level design and administration of Microsoft Configuration Manager (MECM) and Microsoft Intune in large enterprise environments, including ConfigMgr and Intune co-management, application and OS deployment, and client health.
• Deep knowledge of Windows 10/11 servicing and patching, including update ring strategy, Windows Update for Business or Autopatch, and patch compliance reporting.
• Strong knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, Microsoft Entra ID, and Windows Server infrastructure as they relate to endpoint management.
• Strong understanding of endpoint security and vulnerability remediation, including security baselines, BitLocker, privileged access and least-privilege controls, certificate management, and zero-trust principles.
• Advanced PowerShell scripting and automation, including APIs, WMI, and orchestration platforms, to automate deployment, remediation, configuration, and reporting.
• Experience developing architecture roadmaps, reference architecture, design standards, and governance frameworks for enterprise endpoint platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead design reviews and make risk-based architecture recommendations on high-visibility initiatives.

Technical Skills Preferred

• Experience with Digital Employee Experience (DEX) and endpoint analytics platforms, such as Nexthink, plus automation and self-healing capabilities.
• Experience with Windows Autopilot, Microsoft Connected Cache, and Delivery Optimization to manage content delivery and network impact.
• Experience building endpoint health and compliance reporting with SQL Server and Power BI.

Education And Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field required. Advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of Information Technology experience, including 5+ years of technical leadership, enterprise solution design, architecture planning, or strategic technology planning experience.
• Travel as needed.

Major Job Responsibilities

• Develops, governs, and maintains strategic architecture roadmaps for Windows endpoint management (MECM and Intune), patching and servicing, digital employee experience, software delivery, automation, vulnerability management, and workplace security platforms.
• Creates and governs reference architectures, design standards, and reusable solution frameworks.
• Leads architecture reviews and solution design approvals for major projects impacting Digital Workplace Technologies.
• Ensures solutions comply with enterprise architecture standards, cybersecurity requirements, operational support models, resiliency expectations, and lifecycle governance practices.
• Identifies, assesses, and manages technical debt, platform rationalization opportunities, modernization initiatives, architectural risks, and strategic investment needs.
• Leads modernization initiatives involving cloud-first endpoint management (including ConfigMgr and Intune co-management), AI-enabled operations, workforce analytics, predictive remediation, automation, and self-healing capabilities.
• Evaluates emerging technologies and develops strategic recommendations supporting business objectives, operational excellence, security improvement, employee productivity, and user experience.
• Leads proof-of-concept activities, technology assessments, vendor evaluations, architecture comparisons, adoption strategies, and implementation recommendations.
• Provides technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, analysts, and project teams, and collaborates with Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Application, vendor, and business teams.
• Establishes platform health indicators and metrics to measure reliability, security, performance, lifecycle readiness, and employee experience outcomes.
• Develops capacity, performance, resiliency, and lifecycle strategies for workplace technology platforms.

About Southern Company

Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture has been recognized by a variety of organizations, earning the company awards and recognitions that reflect Our Values and dedication to service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.

Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Job Identification: 22559

Job Category: Information Technology

Job Schedule: Full time

Company: Southern Company Services